FSTDT

Peter Brimelow #fundie gazette.com

Violence in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 12 led Colorado Springs officials and residents to take a closer look at VDARE, an immigration advocacy group with ties to the rally's white nationalist organizer that had booked a conference at Cheyenne Mountain Resort.

Under pressure from threatened boycotts, online criticism and Mayor John Suthers, the resort last week announced it had canceled the planned gathering next April.

Despite the cancellation, VDARE is standing behind its controversial contributor, Jason Kessler, the blogger who organized the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville that resulted in the death of a counterprotester who was killed when a reported neo-Nazi allegedly rammed his car into a crowd.

"If it hadn't been Charlottesville, they would find some other excuse," VDARE leader Peter Brimelow told Colorado Politics in an e-mail exchange Thursday.

Brimelow, who is the editor of VDARE.com, told Colorado Politics last week his organization was not involved at Charlottesville "in any way."

"We have a totalitarian left in this country," Brimelow said. "They would shut down the president if they could, so they might try to shut us down next April, but they might also find something more interesting to do."

Two days later, Cheyenne Mountain shut them down.

The tony resort said it canceled the conference but wouldn't say why, only, "We remain committed to respecting the privacy of guests at the resort."

In an e-mail exchange with Colorado Politics Thursday, Brimelow answered some questions:

How would you characterize the way VDARE has been pulled into the Charlottesville situation?

"Typical lying communist propaganda, connived at by the Establishment Left."

Any regrets about working with Jason Kessler?

"No. What Kessler wrote for us is justified on its own merits (although obviously far too edgy for your paper. That's why we have an audience). I'm not going (to) wimp out like the (Daily) CALLER.

"Kessler's not the problem. This purge has been coming for a long time - e.g. we all lost Google Adsense in the spring and the $PLC has been campaigning against us re PayPal for years. It's obviously co-ordinated like the Trayvon Martin scam - there's probably some listserve group somewhere like Journolist, If it hadn't been Charlottesville, they would find some other excuse.

"The amazing thing is that the GOP Establishment, Conservatism Inc. get mau-maued every time. Except the God-Emperor (President Donald Trump), bless him."

Are there any "next steps" in Colorado? Another location maybe? Court?

"Various possibilities have come out of the woodwork, including lawyers. We'll book somewhere else but don't know where or when yet (although CO in 2018 spring may still be possible)."

lexiii #fundie gazette.com

By the way, humanism caused atheism. Humanism was arounda long time before it was finally defined in the humanist manifesto.

My opinion is that the Humanist Manifesto basically spelled out in formal terms the unwritten doctrine that many lived by since the first human rebellion against God. The only difference is that the Humanist Manifesto, being somewhat recent, includes and supports Darwinism, and outright mentions Darwinism. (Darwin was a devout Christian, by the way, who denounced his theories on his deathbed because apparently he felt guilty about them and I think that was because the church was against them).

Darwin, of course, and his evolutionist theories did not exist in ancient times, obviously. But the general doctrine of atheism has been around for centuries, and I'd also venture to say that there may have been a kind of humanist manifesto written centuries ago, as well - only not called by the name Humanist Manifesto.

Atheism is definitely nothing new, you're right, but the root is basic humanism - that is, a belief that humans are, in essence, their own Gods - that there is no higher power for humans to answer to; that humans are the highest power there is.

Atheists, whether one cares to admit this or not, believe that there is no higher spiritual power than themselves. There is no God, therefore people are the higher intelligence and/or supreme beings.

Kristi Burton #fundie gazette.com

"Dubbed the Personhood Amendment, her proposal is simple in its succinctness: It states that the state constitution should be amended to define a person as including any human being from the moment of fertilization.

The implications of that statement, though, are certain to make Colorado a national battleground on the abortion issue - it could outlaw abortions and some birth control.

It's a battle Burton doesn't shy from.

"If I know what's going on and do nothing, that's not how I should live my life," she said last week, citing one of her favorite biblical verses. "I honestly feel that this is what God called me to do."

It's a calling she says she's had since she was 13.

It's also been what's guided her since an even earlier age when her mother, Debra Burton, would read inspirational stories to her and her two brothers as part of their education.

The stories were about taking on powerful institutions or standing up for what's right, stories about Martin Luther, who led the Protestant Reformation, and Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch Christian who helped Jews escape the Nazis during World War II."